"How much longer are we gonna have to do this, uncle?" Zuko sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow as he sat down in the cramped tunnel they had managed to hollow out of the ice. His head was starting to throb again, and he could feel his body beginning to grow weak.
"Patience, nephew," Iroh replied as he continued to melt the ice in front of them "I'm sure it won't be too much longer..."
"But it's been hours, and we've barely gotten anywhere," Zuko groaned. "We don't even know where we're going, or how much more ice we need to melt through…"
"Where in Tui's name are the prisoners?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed from behind them.
Zuko felt a spike of panic and immediately whipped around. Thankfully, there was nobody else in the tunnel; it seemed the voices were carrying from the room they had escaped from.
"I– they were right here, I swear! There's no way they could have escaped!" another voice replied, this one familiar to him—it sounded like the same person who had interrogated them earlier.
"We must let your father know immediately so we can conduct a search of the estate," the unfamiliar voice said.
"No!" the familiar voice quickly interjected. "I can do it. There's no need to tell my father about any of this. Don't breathe a word to anyone, got it?"
The unfamiliar voice was quiet for a moment. "Alright," they replied, sounding reluctant.
"Uncle," he hissed, turning back around. "If they find the tunnel, we're done for!"
Iroh nodded and decreased the intensity of the fire in his palms until it was just a small flame in his right hand, just enough so they could both still see. Zuko watched as his uncle's eyes darted back and forth, presumably attempting to think of a plan of action. Suddenly, he seemed to notice something below them, and leaned down with his ear facing the ground, as if listening for something.
"What is it?" Zuko asked.
"Look! I found something under the polar bear skin rug!" the unfamiliar voice suddenly exclaimed behind him.
Iroh's gaze darted up to look over Zuko's shoulder, and he sighed heavily. "This won't be pleasant, but it seems to be our only option. Brace yourself, Zuko."
Suddenly, Iroh placed both of his palms on the ground and began to warm the ice below them.
"Uncle, what are you–"
"There you are, ash makers!"
Zuko craned his neck to see their masked captor had landed onto the wet tunnel floor, this time with a jawbone dagger in hand. "You really thought you could tunnel your way out of here? You don't even know where you're going!"
Zuko hated that they were absolutely right. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly, steam emanating from it as he prepared to build up what little energy he had left for a firebending attack. It would be difficult in such close quarters, but he didn't have any other way of defending himself and his uncle.
Suddenly, he heard a loud crack from directly below him, and before he could process what was happening, he fell through the floor, landing with a splash into dark, freezing, and rapidly moving water.
"Uncle!" Zuko gasped as he attempted to keep his head afloat. He had no idea where he was, as it was too dark for him to see much of anything. "Uncle, where are you?!"
Am I going to die here? Zuko thought as the piercing cold of the water began to numb his body, his head pounding painfully. Aang's face suddenly flashed in his mind. Am I going to die without ever seeing him again?
"Zuko!"
Suddenly, he perked up as he heard the sound of his uncle's voice coming from somewhere ahead of him.
"Zuko!"
Thankfully, his eyes had already begun to adjust to the darkness, and he spotted his uncle waving his arms wildly from where he stood on a rocky bank.
"Grab my hand!" Iroh yelled, crouching down next to the water.
Zuko just barely managed to latch onto his uncle's outstretched hand, and the surprisingly strong former general hoisted him onto solid ground with a grunt.
Zuko immediately flopped onto his back, feeling dazed and still very numb.
"Your fire breath! Remember your fire breath, Zuko!" Iroh instructed urgently as he began to hover heated palms over him.
Zuko took in a slow, raspy breath, and exhaled, shooting a tiny wisp of flame from his mouth. While he slowly began to increase his breathing, he felt his limbs begin to regain feeling.
"Prince Zuko…?" Iroh asked after a moment. "How do you feel?"
"Well. You were right about it not being pleasant," Zuko replied with a full body shiver, voice raspy as he pushed himself into a sitting position, coughing and wincing as he pressed his palm to his side. It was difficult for him to tell if his ribs were bruised or broken at this point. "Where are we?"
"It appears to be some sort of underground river," Iroh replied as he carefully helped Zuko to his feet, his eyes studying his face with concern. "We need to get you to a healer."
"Uncle, I don't even know if we're anywhere near the city anymore…"
Iroh shook his head. "Look."
He nodded his head in the direction ahead of them, and Zuko's brow furrowed as he attempted to see what his uncle was referring to.
"There's a path up ahead. Not anything fancy, but you can tell that it's been worn down over the years. If we follow it, perhaps it will lead us to some form of civilization."
Zuko didn't have the energy to argue, and seeing as there wasn't any better option, he nodded, and the two began to push forward.
After some time of following the path, it eventually came to an end, while the underground river continued to flow onwards.
"Now what?" Zuko moaned.
Iroh was quiet for a moment as he held up the flame in his palm to the wall. "Aha!"
"What?" Zuko asked confusedly.
"There are footholes carved into the rock," he said, pointing to the ceiling of the cave. "They lead up there. That's likely an exit."
Zuko breathed a sigh of relief when he saw soft blue natural light filtering in from a hole on the roof of the cave that looked just barely big enough for a person to fit through.
He began climbing first, gritting his teeth as he tried not to let the pain in his body overwhelm him. However, when he reached the roof of the cave where the footholds ended, he groaned.
"What is it?" his uncle asked from below.
"The exit is covered with ice… I'm gonna start trying to melt it."
Zuko took a deep breath, focusing on the energy at his core and where he wanted to send it. When he exhaled, he pushed the energy into his free hand, pressing it to the ice. The heat from his hand lit the ice with an orange glow, and he felt his hand slowly begin to push through it as water dripped down on top of him.
"Come on…" he muttered to himself as he pushed. "Just a little bit further."
At last, his hand burst through the other side of the ice, and he used his fist to break the rest of it loose.
As he hoisted himself out, he breathed another sigh of relief. The exit had led back into Agna Qel'a—seemingly into a horizontal man-made tunnel overlooking the canals. It appeared to be very early in the morning; it was light outside, but he could not yet see the sun.
When he heard his uncle grunt behind him, he turned back around and hurried over to help him climb out of the hole as well.
"It seems we may have stumbled across a very old secret passageway into the city," Iroh said with a sigh as he sat down leaning against the curved walls of the tunnel to catch his breath. "I'm certain this was meant to be accessible to waterbenders only. Maybe smugglers."
Zuko said nothing in reply, only plopping to sit across from iroh, wincing as he did so. He was becoming increasingly more aware of just how exhausted he was, as well as just how much pain he was in.
"Zuko?" Iroh said, his tone growing anxious once more as he shuffled over to him. He put the back of his hand against Zuko's forehead and frowned. "You're burning up."
"Isn't that a good thing, uncle?" Zuko replied with a few hoarse coughs. "At least I'm not freezing to death."
"Not when it's a fever, it's not…" Iroh muttered.
Zuko grunted and clenched his teeth as he got back up. "Look, we just need to get back to the guest house and find Aang, Katara, and Sokka…"
"Zuko, wait!" he heard Iroh whisper behind him as he began to slowly ascend the nearby stairway leading up to the street. "At least rest for a moment!"
"I don't need rest," Zuko muttered in reply. Suddenly, as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on him, he felt himself stumble as his weakened legs gave out beneath him. As the pounding of his head seemed to grow in intensity, he felt his eyes begin to grow heavy.
Stay awake, Zuko told himself. You can't stop now. You have to get back.
"Zuko!" he heard the now distant-sounding voice of his uncle shout as the former general pulled him to his feet, placing his arm over his shoulder.
"Oh my–!" a voice cried out from in front of them.
Zuko lifted his head up and squinted his eyes. Two women were standing at the top of the stairs next to the bridge. The taller of the two women wore a fur hood and held a small boy whose wide blue eyes stared at him with intense curiosity, while the shorter woman's visible dark hair was fashioned into a slicked-back braided ponytail, and she carried a large satchel on her back. Both women appeared to be in their late twenties or early thirties.
The shorter woman immediately shrugged off her satchel and ran down to them, ducking under Zuko's other arm to help Iroh keep him upright.
"Are you two alright?" she asked, her dark blue eyes filled with concern.
"My nephew needs a healer," Iroh replied urgently.
"Piqa, look at their clothes," the taller woman interjected, hugging the small child close as her eyes widened. "They're foreigners . And look at the state of them. What if they're pirates? "
"Pirates or not, they're hurt," the shorter woman replied as they ascended the stairs. "And I can help!"
"We're not pirates," Iroh said, shaking his head vehemently. "We're friends of Avatar Aang."
Both women's expressions turned to ones of shock.
"Avu, the Avatar is in the city," Piqa said, her brow furrowing.
Avu shook her head. "They could be lying! What are they doing all the way out here when the Avatar is likely staying near the palace?"
"We were kidnapped," Zuko interrupted weakly with a cough.
"Kidnapped? " Avu repeated, blinking in surprise. "Why in La's name…?" she trailed off.
"I'm sure the news has spread throughout the city by now," Zuko said, chuckling dryly before coughing several more times.
"They're Fire Nationals," Avu suddenly gasped, taking a step back.
Piqa immediately frowned at the other woman. "So what? If they're with the Avatar and on our side, why does it matter where they're from?"
Avu bit her lip as Piqa continued to give her a hardened look, and Zuko's eyes moved between them both nervously.
"We're taking them home," Piqa said matter-of-factly.
"Piq, are you absolutely sure about this?" Avu pleaded.
"I believe that what they say is true," Piqa replied resolutely. "And even if it isn't, you know me. I won't abandon anyone who needs help."
The hooded woman's wary pale blue eyes studied Iroh and Zuko for a moment until at last she released a sigh. "Fine. Let's go, then. Quickly."
"Nice try, Pupil Sangok," Pakku said sarcastically as he shook his head at the waterbender who was currently trapped in a frozen wave. "A couple more years and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge." The old master waved his hand, and the ice wave melted back into water, depositing the student on the ground with a thud. "Would anyone care for a rematch with Katara?"
The various other waterbending students, each sitting on the ground in various states of disarray, shook their heads in response.
"Katara, you have advanced more quickly than any student I've ever trained," Pakku said in a display of genuineness that Aang had not yet grown accustomed to. "You have proven that with fierce determination, passion, and hard work, you can accomplish anything."
Katara, of course, beamed in response. As her gaze met Aang's own, he gave her a small smile and a thumbs up.
"Pupil Aang!" Pakku suddenly said as he whipped around to face him.
"Yes?" Aang replied, immediately hopping to his feet.
"You still have much work to do, and your mind has clearly been elsewhere this whole session. Would you care to step into the sparring ring with Katara?"
"Sorry," Aang replied guiltily. "I just…"
"It's okay, Master Pakku," Katara said quietly, putting a hand on Pakku's arm. "Our friends are still missing, and he's just been worried sick…"
Pakku softened slightly, then sighed. "I understand. But he can't shirk his training duties forever."
"I know," Katara said. "I'll talk to him."
Pakku sighed again and waved his hand. "Fine. Class is dismissed for today."
As the old master and his students departed, Katara walked over to Aang with a concerned expression. "Aang, I know this past week has been hard for you. It's been hard for all of us."
Has it? Aang thought internally with a slight flare of irritation as he folded his arms and turned to look out over the city below them. Because you seem to have been doing just fine, immersing yourself into waterbending training, while Sokka's been spending all of his free time with the princess...
"Aang?"
"What? " Aang snapped. When he turned back to look at Katara, however, he immediately felt another wave of guilt rush over him when he saw her slightly taken aback expression. "...Sorry."
Katara shook her head. "Don't be," she replied quietly. "...Have you been getting much sleep?"
Aang rubbed his left eye and blinked a few times. "Not really."
"I know you're worried about Zuko and Iroh, but you have to take care of yourself, too."
Aang squeezed his eyes closed and frowned. "I can't afford to think about myself. Not when my friends could be in danger."
Katara bit her lip, concerned expression growing in intensity. "Aang, you don't need to put all of this on yourself alone. Advisor Iknik's guards–"
"Haven't been any help at all," Aang interrupted, beginning to pace back and forth. "First, they didn't even notice Zuko and Iroh were missing, and now they can't find a trace of them." He shook his head rapidly again with a grunt. "They're useless!"
"I'm sure they're doing the best they can," Katara replied. "Agna Qel'a is a huge city, and they could be anywhere."
"Which is why I need to do everything I can to help with the search," Aang said, flicking open his glider. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna do another flyover over the city before it gets dark."
"Aang," Katara said, grabbing his wrist gently. "You need rest. You can't do your best to find Zuko and Iroh if you don't."
Aang met her gaze warily for a moment, then sighed, flicking his glider closed again. As the hot sting of tears began to form in his eyes, Katara allowed him to slump into her embrace.
"I'm just… so worried, Katara," he choked. "What if… what if we never find them? Or worse… what if we do find them, and it's too late…"
Katara patted him on the back comfortingly. "Whatever we do, we can't give up hope," she replied softly.
"Zuko! Iroh!" Aang yelled as he flew over Agna Qel'a for what felt like the millionth time the following afternoon.
It had been over a week since his friends had gone missing, and still, he had found absolutely no sign of them. He'd flown over the city countless times at this point, even sending out Momo so they could cover more ground, but they hadn't even found a single clue pointing to where Iroh and Zuko might be.
At this point, he felt like he was beginning to lose his mind. Katara said to not give up hope… But finding them feels impossible at this point...
Eventually, he landed on the great ice wall that separated the city from the North Sea. As he stared into the southern horizon, he noticed that storm clouds appeared to be approaching on the horizon.
No, he told himself firmly, shaking his head. I won't give up. Even if I have to keep searching for weeks, I won't rest until I find them.
A shiver suddenly ran down his spine as he felt a snowflake fall and melt on his head. I should head back before the weather gets worse, he thought with a sigh, looking down.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed as he noticed that one of the snowflakes that had landed at his feet was black in color. Then there was another, and another. He whipped his head up again, and not only was the snow increasing in its intensity, but so was the soot.
"Oh no…"
"The day we have feared for so long has arrived," Chief Arnook proclaimed solemnly to the large group of Agna Qel'a citizens that had gathered in the throne room an hour later. "The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness that I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts."
Aang squeezed his eyes closed upon hearing the chief's words. The Fire Nation is here because of me, I know it. Once again, I'm putting everyone in danger.
"Now, as we approach the battle for our existence," Arnook continued. "I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."
"Count me in," Sokka suddenly proclaimed, standing up.
"Sokka…" Katara exclaimed in shock.
"Be warned, many of you will not return," Arnook said as several other young Water Tribe men stood and began to make their way over to the chief, including Sokka. "Come forward to receive my mark, if you accept the task."
"What does he think he's doing?" Katara whispered anxiously. "He's being reckless. He doesn't have the same level of training that these warriors do…"
"It's his decision, Katara," Aang replied quietly. "I don't think we can stop him."
After Sokka received his mark from the chief, he made his way back over to them, and the crowd began to disperse.
"Any luck with the search for Zuko and Iroh?" Sokka asked Aang after an awkward moment of silence during which Aang noticed that Katara was refusing to meet her brother's eye.
Aang shook his head. "I'll have to hold off on the search for now. We have to prepare for the Fire Nation attack. How many do you think there are?"
"Judging by how much soot was mixed with that snow?" Sokka replied with a frown. "A lot. This fleet probably has a lot more ships than the Southern Raiders did."
Aang squeezed his eyes closed again for a moment and took a deep breath. He had to focus on protecting the Northern Water Tribe now. He needed to do whatever he could. He–
"It's quite a coincidence, don't you think?" a smug voice said from behind Sokka, who frowned and turned around. Aang peered over his shoulder to see a familiar-looking boy standing with his arms folded, a smirk on his face. The boy looked to be about a year or two older than him, and several other warriors his age and older stood behind him.
"What coincidence?" Sokka asked, narrowing his eyes.
"That your Fire National friends went missing just a few days ago, and now the Fire Nation is on our doorstep," the boy replied.
Aang suddenly felt a spark of anger ignite deep within him, and it took all of his strength to keep his voice calm as he took a deep breath to reply. "What are you implying?" he said, fists clenched and shaking at his side.
"You brought Fire Nationals into the city. And now they're gone, and we're about to be attacked," the boy replied, smirk morphing into a sneer of disgust. "I wouldn't be surprised if they–"
With a gust of airbending, Aang sped forward, coming to a stop right in front of the arrogant boy, causing him to flinch and stumble backwards. "If they what?" he demanded darkly as he stared directly into the boy's eyes.
The boy's haughty exterior immediately cracked, and he shrunk away from Aang's fiery gaze with a fearful expression. "N-nothing," he stammered, clearing his throat. "Forget I said anything."
"No, I wanna hear what you have to say," Sokka said, coming to a stop next to Aang and folding his arms.
"It seemed to me like you were implying that my friends are traitors," Aang said, his eyes still locked on the boy. "I don't like it when people badmouth my friends ."
"Hahn? What's going on here?" Chief Arnook interjected as he walked over to the scene, Advisor Iknik at his side.
"Nothing, chief," the boy—Hahn—replied, smoothing his robes as he attempted to regain his composure.
"This is no time for petty fights, boys," Advisor Iknik said, shooting a pointed look at Hahn, who immediately looked away with a slight frown.
"The Advisor is correct," Chief Arnook replied, eyes narrowing for a moment as he looked back and forth between Hahn, Sokka, and Aang. "Come. Those of you who received the mark, follow Iknik to the armory. I will be there shortly."
With that, Sokka and the rest of the men departed with the advisor, while Aang, Katara, and Chief Arnook exited the palace. The snowfall had stopped at this point, though small drifts of gray snow still littered the stairs below. Aang came to a stop at the edge of the first step, placing his staff on the ground next to him.
"The stillness before battle is unbearable. Such a quiet dread."
Aang was quiet for a moment before responding. "I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people. I'm going to make a difference this time."
Chief Arnook nodded. "We are grateful for your help. And… I am sorry about Hahn, and whatever he may have said," he said with a sigh. "He's an arrogant boy. Iknik needs to discipline him better."
Aang's brows furrowed, and he and Katara exchanged a confused glance.
Arnook smiled slightly. "You didn't notice the family resemblance?"
"Hahn is Iknik's son?" Katara asked.
Arnook nodded again, and his gaze turned back towards the city. "Iknik and I have been close friends since our youth, when he saved my life after an encounter with a Fire Navy patrol vessel. Unfortunately, while I came away from that encounter unscathed, he did not…" Arnook sighed again and shook his head. "After that, he abandoned the path of the warrior entirely for that of a scholar. Sometimes, I think he may be living vicariously through his son, who has yet to see the true horrors of war."
"Even if he's the son of your close friend, I don't think it's right to let him get away with saying things like that," Katara said with a frown.
Arnook winced slightly. "What exactly did he say?"
"He more or less implied that Iroh and Zuko betrayed us, and that they're the reason the Fire Nation is here," Aang replied quietly.
Upon hearing this, Arnook's eyes closed slowly. "I see. My sincerest apologies. I will have a discussion with him and his father later." When he opened his eyes again, Aang could see the guilt in them. "I am also deeply sorry we have not yet been able to locate your friends."
Aang shook his head. "They know how to take care of themselves. I'm sure they're alright," he replied. He wasn't even sure if he completely believed this anymore, but it somehow made him feel better to say it out loud. "Right now, my priority is protecting the Northern Water Tribe."
Zuko's eyes opened slowly, his brow scrunching as his vision adjusted to his surroundings.
Where am I?
He looked down to see that he appeared to be laying in a very comfortable and warm bed, with a large fur blanket covering his body. He also seemed to be wearing completely different clothes; instead of the usual dark green, he was now dressed in light blue.
He pressed the pads of his fingertips gingerly against the spot where he had gotten hit in the head, and was surprised to feel that the severity of the pain had lessened significantly. He quickly felt the side of his ribs as well, once again expecting to feel some form of pain, and while it was still tender, the pain was nowhere near as bad as it was.
Suddenly, the wooden door on the other side of the room creaked open, and Zuko sat up with a start as his uncle entered the room, also wearing blue robes and carrying a tray with a teapot and several cups. When he saw that Zuko was awake, a relieved smile appeared on his face, and he quickly set the tray down on a small side table next to a chair across from the bed.
"Prince Zuko! You're awake!" Iroh said as he made his way over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah," Zuko replied, blinking several times. "A lot better, actually. Where are we?"
"Welcome to our humble abode," a new voice said, and Zuko turned to see a woman with a long braided ponytail leaning in the doorway with a grin.
Zuko's eyebrows slowly rose as he recognized the woman. "Are you a healer?" he asked.
The woman nodded. "You were in pretty bad shape when we found you two a few days ago. I'm glad you're feeling better."
"A few days ago?" Zuko repeated with a frown. How many days had it been now since he and Iroh had first gotten kidnapped? "We need to get back to Aang–"
As he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and made a motion to get up, Iroh grabbed him by the shoulders and gently pushed him to sit back down.
"Slowly, nephew," Iroh said. "Let Piqa take a look at you first."
He looked over to the woman, who entered the room and put a hand on her chin as she leaned forward to study his face. With her other hand, she gently moved his head to the side to examine it. "Could you open your robe so I can check your ribs?" she asked kindly.
Zuko nodded and did as he was asked. She pressed a palm against the bruise for a moment, then nodded. "No fever, and your injuries are healing nicely. I think it wouldn't hurt to do one more healing session, but after that, you should be good to go."
She motioned for him to sit back up as she unscrewed the lid on her water pouch and pulled the water out of it with waterbending. Once it had fully covered her palm, she placed it gently on Zuko's head, and he began to feel a strange but not unpleasant tingling sensation as the water glowed next to his right eye.
"Thank you," Zuko said quietly. "You took us in, knowing we're Fire Nationals…"
Piqa shook her head. "I understand why people are wary of foreigners. Especially from the Fire Nation," she said as her brow furrowed in concentration. "But I'm someone who likes to give everyone the benefit of the doubt."
"And we're very grateful for that," Iroh said as he moved to the chair next to the table with the tea tray on it.
"But what about your friend?" Zuko asked. "She didn't seem too happy when she found out who we were…"
Piqa smirked slightly. "Avu is just a cautious person," she replied. "But she has a good heart. She's also fiercely protective of the people she loves. It's one of the reasons I married her."
Married? Zuko repeated internally, his eyes widening in shock. The Northern Water Tribe allows two people of the same gender to marry?
His eyes drifted over to his uncle, who was pouring himself a cup of tea. He had expected the old man to react with shock, or even disgust, but strangely, he did not seem to react to this revelation at all.
Did uncle already know? Zuko wondered. If he's not bothered by it, then maybe he wouldn't hate me if I told him about…
"Piq? Have you seen Kahmo?" a voice called from beyond the doorway, interrupting his thoughts.
Suddenly, a small boy of about the age of four darted into the room. To Zuko's astonishment, the boy immediately ran to Iroh and latched himself onto his leg.
"Your mother is looking for you," Iroh laughed.
"But I don't wanna play with Mama, I wanna play with you!" the boy protested.
"I can't play right now," Iroh said. "But I can once I've finished my tea and my nephew is healed."
The boy wilted slightly, then seemed to notice Zuko for the first time, and a look of curiosity appeared on his face. Zuko flinched when the child came to a stop next to him and put his hands on his knee.
"Oh no! Your eye got hurt?" he asked with a concerned expression and wide blue eyes.
He noticed my scar.
"Kahmo, it's not polite to ask people about things like that," Piqa said, giving Zuko an apologetic look as she crouched down to begin healing his bruised side.
"It's okay," Zuko said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he looked down at the worried-looking child. "It happened a long time ago. But it's better now. It doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's good!" the boy said, a relieved smile reappearing on his face. "Mommy always helps me feel better when I get hurt. She'll help you feel better too."
"There you are!"
Zuko looked to the doorway again, where a slightly exasperated looking woman now stood. He almost didn't recognize her now without her hood, and now that her face and hair were fully visible, he could see that she was very beautiful. Her long, wavy dark brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck, and she sported two long braided hair pieces interwoven with beads on either side of her face.
When her eyes met Zuko's, her expression softened slightly. "You're awake."
"Thank you for taking us in," Zuko immediately replied, bowing his head. "If there's anything my uncle and I can do to repay you–"
"There's no need," Avu replied, and to Zuko's surprise, a warm smile appeared on her face. "I'm glad to see you've recovered." Her gaze then moved to the small boy standing next to Zuko's leg. "Come on, little mister. Mommy needs some space so she can do her job, and we've got errands to run."
Kahmo's shoulders slumped, and a pout appeared on his face, though he did not protest as Avu walked over to him, grabbing hold of her outstretched hand.
"We'll be back soon," Avu said as she hoisted the small boy into her arms, darting over to kiss Piqa—who was still concentrating on healing Zuko's side—on the top of her head before exiting the room. "Love you."
"Love you, too," Piqa called out in reply, shaking her head with a slight smirk. "Those two are a handful sometimes. Sorry about that."
Zuko shook his head. "No need. You… have a lovely family."
Piqa simply gave him a warm smile in response before returning to concentrate on her healing for several more minutes before finally removing the water from his side. "There we go. How does that feel?"
Zuko pressed two fingers to his ribs. He still felt a slight sensation of bruising, but it was a noticeable improvement from how it had felt when he had woken up. "It feels a lot better. Almost no pain."
Piqa nodded approvingly as she pushed herself up from the bed. "Good! Now that we've gotten that taken care of, you should be good to–"
"Piqa! "
Zuko immediately stood up when he heard Avu's voice shout from the hallway, and he and Iroh quickly followed a panicked-looking Piqa out of the room. When they rounded the corner, Avu was standing in the open doorway, clutching Kahmo to her chest. Her face was flushed, and she appeared to be out of breath.
"What is it?" Piqa exclaimed as she dashed over to her wife. "Is Kahmo hurt?"
"No…" Avu replied with wide eyes. "The snow… It's black."
No, Zuko thought with a spike of panic, inhaling sharply. Please, no…
He immediately darted out into the street, and as he looked up to the sky, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Black, soot-covered flurries were indeed falling from the sky, and had begun to turn the streets and water fountains gray.
This much soot-covered snow could only mean one thing: a Fire Navy fleet was near, and it was a large one.
He turned back around to see a terrified-looking Piqa and Avu holding one another close, while his uncle sported a grave expression. When their eyes met, he nodded, indicating that they were likely thinking the same thing.
They needed to get back to Aang, and soon.
Aang gripped Appa's reins tightly as he flew the bison back towards the palace. Agna Qel'a was now bathed in a soft golden glow of the evening sun, and he could see that the streets below him appeared to be crowded with civilians. Seeing the damage that the Fire Nation fleet had already done to the city reminded him of the aftermath of the Southern Raider battle at Wolf Cove, and he could only hope that no casualties had occurred during today's battle.
I'm the Avatar. I should be able to do more. People are getting hurt because I can't do more...
His only comfort right now was that the fleet had, for some reason, not only stopped advancing towards the city, but also stopped firing altogether. He knew this was likely only temporary, but there wasn't anything he could do about that now.
When he finally landed Appa, he immediately slid down to the ground, clutching the sides of his head in his hands as Katara and Princess Yue ran up to him.
"I can't do it… I can't do it," he murmured.
"What happened?" Katara asked, crouching down next to him with a concerned expression.
"I must have taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there's just too many of them. I can't fight them all," Aang replied weakly.
"But you have to!" Yue exclaimed. "You're the Avatar…"
"I'm just one kid," Aang replied, looking up at the princess defeatedly, tears stinging in his eyes.
"Everyone, please, return to your homes! Remain calm, and do not panic!"
Zuko pulled down his hood and lowered his head as he and Iroh passed yet another city guard in the crowded Agna Qel'a streets. Avu and Piqa had graciously given them both warm fur coats before they had departed, and for that—among many other things—Zuko was extremely grateful. He had already made his mind up: he was going to find some way to repay the couple for their kindness, one way or another.
Suddenly, a familiar roar sounded from above, and Zuko's head immediately whipped up to the sky. Surely enough, he spotted Appa flying directly over them. The sight of the bison immediately lifted his spirits, and his heart began to race.
Aang!
"Uncle!" he exclaimed, grabbing the old man's sleeve and pointing up to the bison. "It's Aang! If we can get his attention, maybe he'll–"
"Excuse me," a voice interrupted. "Chief Arnook has ordered that every able-bodied male over the age of thirteen is to report to the southern barracks immediately."
Zuko flinched as a hand clapped on his shoulder and turned him around. When the guard's stern eyes met Zuko's own, his expression suddenly morphed to one of surprise, and his gaze drifted to Zuko's left eye.
Oh no, Zuko thought, feeling himself begin to sweat. He had absolutely no idea if he could trust this guard or not. If the guest house guards were in on the kidnapping plot, who knew how many others were possibly involved?
"Wait, you're–" the guard began.
Before the guard could complete his sentence, Zuko grabbed his uncle by the wrist and darted into the crowd.
"Wait!" he heard the guard call out behind him. "Stop!"
"The legends say the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."
Aang sighed as he listened to Princess Yue's soft voice. He stared up at the night sky, the full moon illuminating the city below them. It was strange to see a scene so calm after the battle that had just occurred a few hours earlier.
"I've always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night," Katara replied.
"Our strength comes from the spirit of the Moon," Yue continued as she stared out over the city. "Our life comes from the spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance."
The spirit of the Moon and the spirit of the Ocean…
Suddenly, Aang perked up, startling Momo, who had been sitting on his shoulder. "The spirits! Maybe I can find them and get their help!"
"How can you do that?" Yue asked confusedly.
"The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World! Aang can talk to them!" Katara replied with a grin.
"Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle!" Yue said, a relieved smile appearing on her face.
"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang exclaimed excitedly as he turned to Katara, who raised an eyebrow. "Remember how powerful those spirits in the Southern Water Tribe were?"
"Weren't those dark spirits, though?" Katara replied, frowning slightly.
"Well, yeah… but that doesn't mean normal spirits aren't powerful, too."
"How are you going to find them, though?" Katara asked. "In Ausuittuq, didn't the spirits appear in the material world because they were angry about the violence the Fire Nation had committed there?"
"That's the reason the spirits turned dark, but it's not why they appeared in the first place," Aang replied, placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Katjuk said that the village used to live harmoniously with the spirits for generations before that, and that the reason they appeared so often is because of how close Ausuittuq was to the South Pole, the spiritual center of the Southern Water Tribe."
"So, wait," Katara said, shaking her head in confusion. "Do you mean we'd have to go to the North Pole for you to talk to any spirits? That's got to be days away. We don't have that kind of time."
Aang frowned. Katara was right. "Well… Maybe I could try and go back into the Spirit World?"
"But didn't you say that the last time you went into the Spirit World, it was by accident?"
"Yeah…" Aang sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I wish Iroh were here. He'd know what I should do…"
Katara was silent for a moment as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I have an idea," Yue suddenly exclaimed, a look of realization in her eyes. "Follow me."
Aang and Katara shared a curious look, and did as the princess said. They followed her through the main chambers of the royal palace until they arrived at a large courtyard behind it. Eventually, they came to a stop at the back of the courtyard, where Yue stood next to a small, round wooden door.
"So, is this the way to the Spirit World?" Aang asked as he approached the door.
Yue chuckled in response. "No. You'll have to get there on your own," she replied as she leaned forward to open the small door. "But I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole."
Now filled with curiosity, Aang immediately crouched down and went through the doorway. When he stood up on the other side, he gasped.
In front of him stood a small but beautiful oasis. It sat on a tiny island filled with lush vegetation, and the air surrounding him felt as pleasant as a warm spring day.
Almost immediately, Aang darted across one of the two bridges leading to the island and fell to his knees, laughing as he raked his fingers through the grass. "I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" He laughed again as he began rolling around on the ground, Momo following suit as he chirped happily next to him. "And it's so warm here! Zuko would absolutely love this!"
Suddenly, his happy mood was dampened as he was reminded that his best friend could not share in his joy, and he sat back up with a sigh.
"How is it possible that it's so warm here?" Katara asked as she pulled her coat off.
"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land," Yue replied.
Aang airbent himself to his feet and slowly walked over to a small pond at the center of the oasis, where two koi fish—one black, one white—circled one another languidly. He took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he felt a strange yet welcome sense of calm begin to wash over him. "You're right, Yue. I can feel... something. It's so tranquil."
He came to a stop in front of an ancient-looking wooden gate that stood on the other side of the pond, and lowered himself back to the ground, where he sat in lotus position and pressed his palms together.
After several minutes had passed, he heard Yue begin to whisper.
"Why is he sitting like that?"
"He's meditating, trying to cross over into the Spirit World. It takes all his concentration," Katara replied.
"Is there any way we can help?" Yue asked.
Aang sighed heavily and turned around. "How about some quiet?" he snapped irritably. "Come on guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"
Both Katara and Yue winced apologetically and thankfully remained silent from that point forward as Aang turned back around, taking another deep breath. Instead of closing his eyes, however, this time, his gaze drifted down to the pond, where the two koi fish continued to circle one another.
For some reason, he felt that he could not take his eyes off of the fish. In fact, he didn't want to. He felt himself being pulled towards the koi as they continued their dance, closer and closer until the koi no longer resembled koi, but two black and white halves of the same whole.
Yin and yang.
By the time Zuko and Iroh had reached the upper level of Agna Qel'a, the city was glowing blue in the light of the now-full moon. While they had somehow managed to avoid running into any more guards while sneaking their way through the alleys of the city, Zuko knew it would be foolish to let his guard down just yet.
As he peered out from the corner of the building he and Iroh were hiding behind, he could see the stairway leading to the neighborhood where their guest house was located at the end of the long road. Strangely, while the lower levels of the city had been bustling with activity, now that they had reached the wealthier part of the city, things were eerily quiet.
"We're almost there, uncle," Zuko whispered as he ducked back behind the building and turned to Iroh.
Iroh nodded and opened his mouth to reply. However, his expression abruptly shifted to one of seriousness, his gaze snapping to look over Zuko's shoulder.
"What?" Zuko demanded as Iroh held up an index finger to his mouth. "What is it?" he asked in a much quieter voice.
Iroh pulled Zuko behind himself and nodded his head pointedly in a direction diagonal from where they were currently hidden.
"It seems we aren't the only ones sneaking around the city," Iroh replied quietly.
Zuko's brow furrowed and he squinted his eyes as he attempted to make out what his uncle was referring to. Suddenly, he spotted the movement of a person in the shadows, then another.
"Do you think they're guards?" Zuko asked.
Iroh shook his head. "What reason would guards have to sneak around like that?"
Zuko's eyes widened slowly. "You don't think… could they be Fire Navy spies?"
"I don't know for certain," Iroh replied. "But I'd say there's a high likelihood."
After a few moments of silence, Iroh waved his hand to indicate that Zuko should follow him, and lifted his index finger to his lips again to indicate that they should not speak. Zuko carefully followed his uncle, sticking to the shadows as they made their way to where the figures had disappeared to.
"We are nearing the palace," Zuko suddenly heard a voice whisper from out of sight ahead of them, likely around the next corner. "When we reach it, be extremely cautious. Keep an eye out for guards, particularly waterbenders. It's a full moon, so if you encounter one, do not attempt to fight—disengage immediately. Once we find the target, we will secure the area for the admiral. Move out."
Find the target? Zuko repeated internally, his eyes widening. Are they going to try and capture Chief Arnook?
Unfortunately, it seemed that reuniting with Aang, Katara, and Sokka would have to wait—he couldn't just sit by and allow something like this to happen.
"We have to keep following them, uncle," Zuko whispered urgently. "Zhao must have sent them to infiltrate the city! The chief is in danger!"
Iroh nodded succinctly. However, just as they stepped forward, two city guards rounded the street corner.
Monkey feathers, Zuko cursed internally. If they stop us for too long, we might be too late!
"Go on," Iroh whispered out of the side of his mouth. "I'll distract him."
"Uncle…" Zuko replied apprehensively, not wanting to leave Iroh alone with the guard.
"Go," Iroh urged again.
"Good evening," one of the guards called out, and as he began to walk towards them, Zuko decided to take his chance and darted off into the alleyway across the street, hiding behind a large sculpture of ice. He didn't want to continue forward just yet, just in case his uncle got into trouble.
"What– why did that kid just run off?" Zuko heard the other guard ask, tone becoming suspicious.
"You'll have to forgive my nephew," Iroh replied in a friendly manner. "He just told me he thinks he's come down with a horrible stomach bug, so he ran off home. Probably from some bad kanpachi."
"Ah. That sounds… unfortunate." the same guard replied awkwardly before clearing his throat. "Is there any particular reason you're out and about this late? Is everything alright?"
Thank the spirits, Zuko thought with a sigh. Neither of them seem to recognize who uncle is.
"Of course," Iroh replied. "I've just been a bit anxious with the Fire Nation attacks recently, and taking walks under the light of Tui is quite soothing for the spirit. My nephew is often kind enough to accompany me on my nightly walks."
The light of Tui? Zuko repeated internally in confusion.
"I see," the first guard replied, his tone becoming sympathetic. "We all look to Tui and La for protection and strength during these dark times."
"Indeed," Iroh replied reverently.
"Since your nephew has departed, we would be happy to escort you home," the second guard said.
"Oh, that is very kind of you, but I couldn't impose–"
"You wouldn't be imposing at all," the first guard replied kindly. "Lead the way."
Guess I'm on my own now, Zuko sighed internally. Hopefully uncle can shake those guards eventually.
Despite having lost sight of the spies, thankfully, he knew where they were going, and he found he could move much more quickly now that he didn't have another person to keep up with. As a result, it didn't take long for him to reach the grand stairway leading up to the palace.
There's no other way they could have gone, Zuko thought to himself as he approached the stairway. The palace is basically on an island. This is the only way up, unless you're a waterbender.
"Zuko?!"
Zuko immediately whipped around in panic, fearing he had somehow been caught by another guard. However, his panic was quickly replaced by a mixture of joy and relief when he spotted Sokka running towards him.
When the Water Tribe boy reached him, he grinned widely for a moment before squeezing him into a tight bear hug. "I almost didn't recognize you with the Water Tribe getup!" he said with a laugh. "Thank the spirits! Aang has been worried sick this whole week!"
A week? Zuko thought concernedly. "Has it really been that long?"
"Yeah…" Sokka said, his brow furrowing as he released Zuko from his hug. "Forgive the bluntness of this question, but what on earth happened to you? And where's Iroh?"
"It's a long story. Uncle's fine, I think. We can talk about the details later," Zuko said, the Fire Navy spies still on his mind. "What are you doing here? And where are Aang and Katara?"
Sokka shrugged. "I've been training all day for a mission for Chief Arnook, and I just left the armory. I haven't seen Aang and Katara since this morning."
"Have a nice time sitting on your butt while we go save the city from the Fire Nation, Soh-ka! That's what you get for disrespecting a future member of the royal family."
Zuko's blood suddenly ran cold as he recognized the voice that had echoed from behind Sokka. He turned his head slowly, and saw a smug, familiar-looking boy walking towards them followed by an assorted group of warriors—the same boy who had been the first to point his spear at him at the banquet when he and Iroh had revealed their identities to Chief Arnook.
When the boy's gaze drifted to Zuko, he came to a sudden stop, and several of the warriors behind him did as well. A mixture of anger and genuine fear burned in the boy's light blue eyes for a moment, though he did his best to quickly recompose himself, albeit poorly. This reaction all but confirmed it in Zuko's eyes: this was the person who had attacked him the night he was kidnapped, and who had taunted him and Iroh in their cell.
"So," the boy began, clearing his throat and folding his arms as he attempted to restore the smirk that had originally appeared on his face. "I see your missing Fire National friend turned back up after all."
"His name is Zuko," Sokka said, folding his arms as well. "And it looks like you were wrong about him after all, Hahn."
Hahn simply narrowed his eyes at Sokka and scoffed. "Come on, guys. It's time for the real warriors to actually go and make a difference."
With one last hateful glance towards Zuko, Hahn and the other warriors departed.
"Man, I really hate that guy," Sokka grumbled. "I can't believe Princess Yue has been engaged to him since she was a baby. How messed up is that?"
"Sokka, we've got to get into the palace," Zuko interjected, shaking his head to dispel his anger as he returned to focusing on the task at hand.
"Sure. That's where I was going anyway. Chief Arnook put me in charge of protecting Princess Yue," Sokka replied, puffing up his chest proudly with a grin. "But why do you need to go there?" he asked, his expression shifting to one of curiosity.
"I'll tell you on the way," Zuko said as he began to ascend the palace steps, a confused Sokka following behind him. "I was following–"
"Sokka! " a voice suddenly interrupted.
Zuko and Sokka both immediately looked up, where a frightened-looking Princess Yue stood at the top of the stairway, appearing out of breath.
Oh no… Are we too late? Zuko thought with a spike of dread.
"Yue?" Sokka asked as they both began to rapidly ascend the stairs. "What is it? What happened?"
"Firebenders!" Yue exclaimed. "Aang and Katara are in danger!"
Zuko ran through the palace faster than he had probably run anywhere in his life.
It wasn't the chief they were after, he thought to himself frantically. Of course it was Aang! How could I be so stupid?!
He had sent both Yue and Sokka to go find Chief Arnook immediately and inform him that Fire Nation soldiers had infiltrated the city. With any luck, they would arrive shortly after he did.
At last, he emerged on the other side of the palace into the courtyard and continued running forward until he reached the edge of the courtyard wall, where a small, round door stood, just as Yue had described. It seemed to have been left open.
Zuko ducked through the doorway as quickly as he could, and to his astonishment, was immediately hit with a wave of warm, almost tropical air. In front of him stood a small island oasis, as lush and green as the palace gardens in Hari Bulkan on a beautiful spring day.
On the island stood Katara, who appeared to be frantically blocking a slew of firebending attacks from four firebenders with waterbending—likely the very same Fire Navy spies Zuko and Iroh had been following. On the ground behind her sat Aang, whose eyes and tattoos were glowing brightly.
He's glowing like he does when he goes into the Avatar State, Zuko thought anxiously as he continued running towards one of the bridges that led to the island. So why is he just sitting there? Is something wrong?
It seemed Katara may have convinced the grumpy old waterbending master to teach her after all, as her bending skills seemed to have improved significantly since he had last seen her just a few days ago. However, despite this, Zuko could tell that Katara was struggling; after all, it was four against one.
Just as a blast of fire was about to hit her, Zuko shot a fire blast of his own to block it.
"Zuko?!" Katara exclaimed, wide blue eyes blinking in surprise. "You're okay!"
"Yep," Zuko replied as he blocked another firebending attack. "It's a long story, I'll tell you about it later!"
Katara nodded succinctly as she shot a large blast of water into one of the firebenders, knocking them back into the pool that surrounded the oasis.
Zuko shot several more fire blasts towards the two firebenders he was facing, knocking one back onto the ground, while the other ran towards him, using two fists to shoot an even more powerful blast towards him. He immediately made a move to block it, and while he managed to keep himself from getting burned, the momentum of the blast was strong, it was very difficult for him to completely disperse the flames as he usually did. As a result, while the fire didn't touch him, it sprayed out behind him instead, nearly reaching Aang, to Zuko's horror.
Thankfully, before the firebender who had shot the powerful blast could throw another attack, she was knocked over with a powerful blast of water.
"What's the matter with Aang?" Zuko shouted as he blocked another attack. "Is he in the Avatar State?"
Katara shook her head and motioned for him to duck as she hurled some ice spikes at one of the firebenders behind him. "He's in the Spirit World! He wanted to ask the Ocean and Moon spirits for help against the Fire Nation!"
"The Spirit World?!" Zuko repeated in astonishment. "When is he gonna come back?"
"I don't know!" Katara replied frustratedly. "I don't know how any of this stuff works!"
Zuko groaned in frustration as well, wiping the sweat from his brow as the firebenders continued to close in on them. He glanced at Katara, who looked to be even more exhausted than he felt.
They won't stop until they get Aang, Zuko thought. Katara won't last much longer. If I can get him out of here, they'll leave… But I can't let them see me.
Suddenly, as Katara began to frantically create a spherical shield of ice to protect them from the incoming fire blasts, an idea manifested in his mind.
"Katara, can you create a cloud of thick mist?"
"I think so," Katara replied confusedly as she continued to pull water from the outer pond to thicken the ice shield, which was melting fast due to the fire blasts. "Why?"
Zuko jerked his head behind him towards Aang. "I'm going to get him out of here," he whispered. "But I can't let them see us. Once they realize he's not here, hopefully they'll leave to look for him."
Katara's eyes widened slowly, and she nodded in understanding. "Okay," she replied quietly. "Just be careful. You won't have much time."
"Thanks," Zuko said with a quick nod. As he turned around, he heard Katara release a slow breath behind him, and suddenly, the oasis began to fill with mist. Zuko's eyes quickly darted around the cavern until at last, he spotted what looked to be a worn, zigzagging ancient path next to the waterfall that flowed at the very back of the cavern. It looked to be the best way out if he wanted to avoid the firebenders, who had completely blocked the way back to the palace.
The mist was beginning to obscure his vision, so he would have to act fast. He quickly darted over to Aang, scooped him up into his arms, and stepped carefully into the shallow outer pond, wading through the surprisingly warm water as quickly as he could.
When he finally reached the start of the path, he paused to look down at the Avatar's glowing, expressionless face for just a moment.
I've got you. I won't let them take you.
With that, he took a deep breath and began his ascent.